capSpire, a Fayetteville-based global commodity trading and risk management consulting and solutions firm, was awarded the prestigious 2012 Alfred P. Sloan Award for the company’s use of creative ideas to help employees achieve a balance of family and careers.

This is the first time an Arkansas company has received the award, according to capSpire.

The Sloan Award for Excellence in Workplace Effectiveness and Flexibility ranks capSpire as one of the top 20 percent of employers on a national level when it comes to policies, programs and culture that create a flexible workplace.

Since capSpire’s inception in early 2009, the company has offered its employees motivational perks like flextime, unlimited vacation, work-from-home options and a relaxed office culture.

“We ask our employees to think outside-the-box, so it’s only natural that we do the same thing when it comes to our office and culture. We try to create an environment where people can continually grow their skills and make their own day-to-day decisions that are in the best interest of both the employee and our company. This award recognizes all the hard work put into creating that special environment,” says capSpire co-founder Jeff Hardcastle.

All Sloan Award recipients are evaluated in a rigorous two-step process.

Employers’ flexibility practices are compared with national norms from Families and Work Institute’s National Study of Employers. Employees are also confidentially surveyed on their access to flexible work options, the supportiveness of the culture and on nationally tested measures of workplace effectiveness.